The sea breeze carried a salty tang as it stirred the damp gravel underfoot.
**Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1480, May 21.**
The sky was blue.
The clouds were white.
Everything seemed perfectly ordinary.
And yet...
On an island deep in the New World called Alabura, muffled thunder-like rumbles echoed through the land.
*Boom.*
*Boom.*
Endlessly.
The blazing sun scorched the earth, turning the air heavy and hot.
Beneath a large tree, several villagers in straw hats sat with their pant legs rolled up, trying to escape the sweltering heat. Their expressions were filled with exasperation.
"He's at it again. Can't that Ares kid take a single day off?"
"He's insane. Doesn't even treat himself like a human being."
"Ares is a monster. A lunatic. If this keeps up, he'll level every mountain on the island."
"Something snapped in him three years ago. It's like he became a different person. One of these days, he's going to kill himself."
"If you ask me, we should kick that guy off the island!"
Their words carried both frustration and helplessness.
Meanwhile, the subject of their complaints Ares stood at the base of a towering mountain roughly 200 to 300 meters high.
Before a sheer cliff face, a boy barely fourteen or fifteen years old stood shirtless, his bronzed skin gleaming in the sunlight. His muscles were dense and sculpted, every inch of him forged like a living statue.
He was massive over three meters tall, nearly four. His sheer size and presence exuded the aura of a feral beast.
Ares was deep in his usual training.
"Hraaah!!"
*BOOM!*
With a ferocious roar, he rammed his entire body into the mountain wall.
Chunks of rock shattered. Huge cracks spread rapidly across the cliff.
Unfazed, Ares struck again. And again.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
Each impact more violent than the last.
The cracks widened.
Finally, with a thunderous crash, the entire mountain collapsed.
Dust filled the air. The ground trembled.
Debris buried Ares under a mountain of stone.
Moments later, a pair of thick arms burst through the rubble. Ares emerged, shaking off the dust like it was nothing.
"This kind of training isn't cutting it anymore," he muttered.
A troubled look crossed his face.
"If I want my body to match the hardness of a true blade inside and out this still isn't enough."
"They say the finest craftsmen in the world forge the Supreme Grade Blades and Great Grade Blades."
"But I will surpass them. I'll forge a sword that transcends even the Supreme Twelve... using my own body."
"I'll be the strongest sword this world has ever seen. The hardest blade of all."
His eyes burned with a madness-tinged determination as he marched toward the forest.
At that moment...
A colossal pirate ship appeared off the shores of the island.
On its deck
"Jihahahaha! Let's hope this island offers something worth our time!" cackled a man with wild golden hair like a lion's mane and twin sabers at his waist.
He was none other than the Rocks Pirates' First Division Commander: Golden Lion Shiki.
On the way back from their last campaign, they'd spotted this island. A perfect opportunity for some plundering.
For a crew as powerful as the Rocks Pirates, detouring to ransack a village cost them nothing.
Another man with a crescent-shaped mustache grinned confidently.
"Let's make a game of it, Shiki. Whoever grabs the most loot wins."
"You two trying to ignore me or what?!" snapped a towering woman, nearly eight meters tall, with long pink hair and a fiery figure.
She wore nothing but a suit jacket, leaving her toned stomach and deep cleavage boldly exposed.
"Same rules as always," declared a broad-shouldered man in a black cloak.
"Anything outside the tribute split is fair game. Whoever grabs it keeps it. That includes Devil Fruits, weapons, and women."
This was the captain of the infamous Rocks Pirates **Rocks D. Xebec.**
The moment the captain finished speaking, the deck erupted.
"Anyone dares take my spoils, they die!"
"Heh, I just want women. If someone finds a pretty one, I'll pay!"
"Can't wait to hear them beg for mercy. Music to my ears!"
"Let's get enough treasure to drown in wine and women for months!"
One by one, these savage pirates prepared for chaos. One even licked his blade, eyes gleaming with madness.
The ship dropped anchor.
"Move out!"
Rocks' order was met with thunderous footfalls.
"Jihahahaha! I'm going in first!" Shiki launched himself into the air like a golden arrow.
Whitebeard leapt from the railing like a hunting falcon, his massive body sprinting faster than a wild predator.
"Shiki! I'm not letting you hog all the glory!" he roared.
At six meters tall, each of his strides covered meters at a time. He dashed like the wind itself.
Wang Zhi, clad in thick gold armor, and Silver Axe, armored in silver, were a bit slower.
Charlotte Linlin charged forward with a crazed laugh, muscling her way to the front.
Behind them, Rocks descended the ship at a casual pace, a half-empty bottle swinging in the hand of his companion Captain John.
Rocks gazed toward the distant village, a smirk on his lips.
"Only when everyone becomes wolves and tigers will they awaken their true strength."
"I want people with ambition. Gold doesn't satisfy me anymore."
"I want territory."
Captain John's eyes gleamed with understanding. He downed a mouthful of liquor and let out a crooked grin.
"What you really want, Captain... is the world."
"And for that, we need more men. Stronger men."
**\[Author's Note]**
A new story sets sail! If you enjoyed this chapter, support the author with a power stone, review, or comment.
Writing takes a lot of heart, and your encouragement means the world.
Thank you!